In November of 1993 the Riverside Press-Enterprise told of the plans of Metropolitan Theaters to start construction in San Jacinto. The theater opened in May of 1995, bringing competition to the Krikorian 12 in nearby Hemet, which opened the previous December.

In 1999 the Metropolitan 12 was among the theaters sold to Resort Theaters of America (RTA). In June of 2003 RTA, because of previous financial woes, sold the cinema to Signature Theaters. By 2005 Signature Theaters sold their company to Regal Cinemas, which operates the Metro 12 today.